6 hurdles to Samsung Pay's success

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Samsung Pay is steadily spreading across the globe and adding new features, but it's also facing some strong challenges in these markets. Here are a few of the biggest issues Samsung's mobile wallet has faced since launch.

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Samsung Pay is steadily spreading across the globe and adding new features, but it's also facing some strong challenges in these markets. Here are a few of the biggest issues Samsung's mobile wallet has faced since launch.
Samsung galaxy note 7
Visitors try out Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy Note 7 smartphones at one of the company's promotional booths in Seongnam, South Korea, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. Samsung is scheduled to report third-quarter results on October 7. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Note 7 recall

Perhaps the biggest issue for Samsung Pay is the loss of momentum it faces in recalling its current flagship handset, the Note 7, due to dangerous battery failures. In addition to the hits it took to brand image and customer loyalty, the recall cost the company more than $5 billion.
Google pixel announcement
Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of hardware for Google Inc., discusses the Google Pixel smartphone during a Google product launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 4 2016. Google is embarking on a wholesale revamp of its mobile phone strategy, debuting a pair of slick and powerful handsets that for the first time will go head-to-head with Apple Inc.'s iconic iPhone. Photographer: Michael Short/Bloomberg
Michael Short/Bloomberg

Google launches the Pixel phone

As Samsung began pulling its Note 7 handsets off the market, Google came out with its own alternative, the Pixel. This handset, which supports Android Pay but not Samsung Pay, sold out ahead of its launch despite a much higher price tag than what Google's flagship handsets have previously carried.
Samsung store in Seoul, South Korea
A man uses a mobile device in front of Samsung Electronics Co. signage at the company's D'light flagship store in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016. Samsung halted sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones and asked consumers to stop using the ones they've already purchased, another blow to South Korea's largest company as it struggles with a crisis over exploding batteries. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Culture clash

South Korea is a fairly unique market for mobile payments. Samsung describes the market as being more welcoming to experimentation; it's a safe testbed for new features, but it also means the rest of the world's Samsung Pay wallets will be two to five years behind Korea's version.
Samsung Pay app
An employee demonstrates Samsung Electronics Co.'s Samsung Pay application on a Galaxy Note 7 smartphone with stylus during a media event in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. Samsung's large-screen Galaxy Note 7 smartphone can be unlocked with an iris-scanning camera. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Winning over banks

One of Samsung Pay's earliest issues was its launch schedule — it set a launch date before it had a single bank contract signed. Samsung delayed its wallet's launch slightly to bring banks on board, thanks to the influence of ex-bankers on its staff, but it was still at a disadvantage to its rival Apple Pay which had a much longer list of supporters when it debuted.
Bank of America debit card
A Bank of America logo check card is pictured in New York, Monday, July 18, 2005. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News.
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News

Inconsistent experience

Samsung pushed hard to get consumers on board with its mobile wallet, offering incentives of up to $100 to new users. But one of those incentives excluded Bank of America debit cards due to the bank's initial inability to share transaction history with Samsung due to a technical glitch.
Android Pay app
An attendee displays the Google Inc. Android Pay icon on a mobile device for a photograph during the Google I/O Annual Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Google Inc. unveiled payment services, security upgrades and access to HBO movies and shows for its popular Android software, seeking to push back against growing competition from rivals such as Apple Inc. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Crowded market

The banks that are adding Samsung Pay aren't doing so exclusively. This may be good for the overall mobile wallet market but — when issuers aren't promoting one wallet over another — it challenges Samsung to make the case that consumers should choose it instead of the more common Android Pay.
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